It’s become a sadly familiar American routine. The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., bore many of the hallmarks of the other school shootings that have shocked the nation over the course of the last weeks, months and years. Among those similarities was the weapon used by accused shooter Nikolas Cruz: the AR-15. This semiautomatic version of the U.S. military’s M-16 infantry rifle and similar weapons have been used in most of the deadliest mass shootings in the last decade, including the one at Sandy Hook…

After a former student armed with an AR-15 assault rifle allegedly murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Wednesday, adult politicians offered predicable responses. Sen. Marco Rubio, the 46-year old Florida Republican who has benefited from more than $3 million in NRA campaign spending, tweeted Bible passages. Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a 65-year old grandfather who has received an A+ rating from the NRA, offered his “thoughts and prayers” to the students and their families. Donald Trump, the oldest president ever elected to a…

England striker Vardy headed home on 66 minutes from a cross by Riyad Mahrez, who was welcome back by Leicester fans from his self-imposed 10-day exile. Mahrez made his first home appearance since skipping training and two games in a stand-off over Leicester’s refusal to sell him to Manchester City. A few boos for the Algerian were largely drowned out by cheers and he responded by laying on the winner for Vardy, who grew up supporting the Blades’ bitter Steel City rivals. Leicester star Mahrez showed some more clever touches…

Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday indicted 13 Russians, and three Russian organizations, with meddling in the 2016 US election. The charges centered on the alleged use of social media to sow political discord, via inserting politically charged messages into the stream of American electronic discourse. But they dealt with physical actions as well: Russians attempted to organize rallies in the US, and at one point paid for a demonstration that included a fake prison cage housing someone portraying Hillary Clinton. Underlying the allegations was this stark message: A foreign…

A Russian Internet agency and more than a dozen Russians interfered in the 2016 US election campaign in a multi-pronged effort to support Donald Trump and disparage rival Hillary Clinton, the US Special Counsel said in an indictment today. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote in a post on Facebook: “13 people interfered in the US elections?! 13 against an intelligence services budget of billions? Against intelligence and counterintelligence, against the latest developments and technologies? Absurd? Yes.” The charges by the office of Robert Mueller described a conspiracy that…

“Single Atom in an Ion Trap,” by David Nadlinger. More An Oxford University student who captured an image of a single atom has won a top science photography prize. David Nadlinger captured the winning photo of an atom suspended between electric fields using a standard digital single-lens reflex camera, the council that organized the U.K. photography competition announced on Monday. “The idea of being able to see a single atom with the naked eye had struck me as a wonderfully direct and visceral bridge between the miniscule quantum world and our macroscopic…

WASHINGTON — NASA has certified the current version of the SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch some categories of science missions, a milestone needed for the upcoming, but delayed, launch of an astronomy spacecraft. NASA disclosed the certification in its full fiscal year 2019 budget proposal, released Feb. 14, in a section about NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP). “In January 2018, SpaceX successfully completed ‘Category 2’ certification of the SpaceX Falcon 9 ‘Full Thrust’ with LSP which supports the launch of the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission in March…

President Donald Trump and the White House on Friday lauded the indictment of 13 Russian nationals on charges of interfering in the 2016 presidential election, insisting it showed there was “no collusion” between Moscow and his presidential campaign. The statements, however, did not address some of the most alarming allegations included in the indictment — including that Russian nationals actively supported Trump’s campaign and disparaged Hillary Clinton through an elaborate conspiracy that used social media, alleged bank fraud and identity theft. Neither Trump nor the White House statement made any…

The challenge facing Special Counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation of President Trump and his associates extends beyond determining whether there was a conspiracy with Russians to meddle in the 2016 election or an attempt to obstruct the FBI’s investigation. In a larger sense, Mr. Mueller must confront the grim prospect that whatever his final conclusions in the Trump-Russia investigation, they will likely be met with suspicion – and possibly rejection – by a significant portion of the country. Rhetoric surrounding the investigation has grown increasingly bitter as members of…

Kodi Box fans have been warned that apps for illegally streaming movies, TV shows and Premier League football could get deleted from their devices remotely. The Kodi surge continues without any sign of stopping, as users continue to ditch paid TV services for the online player. Research has suggested Kodi – which offers access to thousands of channels – is being used in more than five million UK homes. Kodi software is not illegal, but developers can produce third-party add-ons that provide free access to pirated and illegal content. These apps…